domingo, 28 de febrero de 2016

Our no-crunch system targets your abs in a whole new way to give you the leanest, firmest torso ever!

For those hoping to whittle their middle, doing crunch after crunch has always been ab-solute gospel. But experts are now shunning the traditional crunch in favor of a new, "functional" approach: to work the abs in ways similar to how the body naturally moves. The goal is to develop what is known as "core stability," or strength in the abs as well as other muscles in the back and torso. Core exercises take ab workouts to a whole new level, because instead of targeting the uppermost muscle (the rectus abdominis) and the obliques, you focus on deliberately contracting your transverse abdominis. The key to targeting the transverse and firming up your core is to flatten the lower abdominal area while doing balancing exercises. We asked Juan Carlos Santana, a conditioning specialist in Boca Raton, Florida, and Paul M. Juris, director of Equinox Fitness Training Institute in New York City, for their best crunchless moves to give you the ultimate ab workout. Here is one of the moves. For the entire workout, see the June issue of FITNESS.

domingo, 21 de febrero de 2016

Stash all produce that needs refrigeration in the cool, ASAP. Other than that, there's not a whole lot you can do short of renting a climate-controlled warehouse, says Richard Gladon, Ph.D., a horticulture professor at Iowa State University. What makes it so tricky? "Ideal temperatures for storage can vary not just from fruit to fruit and veggie to veggie, but sometimes even with each stage of ripeness," he says. If you still want to try to optimize your veggies' life span at home, though, remember that the temperature in your fridge varies slightly from shelf to shelf since heat rises, the bottom shelf tends to be the coldest. Use our chart (right) to help your produce keep its cool.

domingo, 14 de febrero de 2016

Here's one of life's little ironies: It takes months to whip yourself into lean, mean shape but just a few weeks to get out of it. At least that's how it feels when you miss a few workouts and who hasn't at this time of the year? We've got a news flash: You can stay in shape and avoid gaining weight with just one or two superfast workouts a week. And each session can be as short as 15 minutes. (C'mon, even you have that!) The secret? Pushing the intensity during quickie sessions. FYI: If you stop exercising completely, it takes as long as three months to become unfit. In as few as two weeks, though, you'll notice little changes like less energy and strength. Research shows that as long as you hike up the intensity, shorter, less frequent workouts can hold off the damage indefinitely. We're featuring here the combo plan that combines cardio and strength training. When you're really pressed for time, you can squeak by with one combo session, but make every second count by working hard. Check out the December/January issue for the other two plans and when you can sneak in more time, couple up workouts for a 30 or 45 minute body blast. (Always warm up before and cool down after you exercise.) This holiday, you won't get fat!

domingo, 7 de febrero de 2016

Our exclusive beginner-to-advanced guide to firming and toning your muscles into their sexiest

You squat, you lunge, you kick, you crunch. And as you get fitter, these basic moves get easier. Your body is a work in progress, so to sculpt the right curves in all the right places, your exercises should evolve along with you. We asked Reebok master trainer Petra Kolber to take the basic lunge as featured here two steps further. For more on the squat, ab curl, and leg lift, see the October issue ofFitness. The result is a series of moves that progressively stimulate your muscles to work harder so your body continues to improve. For each move, there's a good, better, and a best version (think bronze, silver, gold). They'll all make you stronger, since they target the same muscles. But the better and best moves push you harder with added jumps, balance components or increased gravitational pull. "Do the good version if you're tired or haven't been working out regularly," suggests Kolber. "When you're ready, plug in the next move. But if you can't do it with good form, do as many reps as you can correctly, then drop to the previous level for the remaining sets." Do three sets of 8 to 12 reps of at least one exercise in each series; use 5 to 10 pound weights. Feel free to mix and match the moves. "Switching things around is a terrific way to keep seeing results," says Kolber. By pumping up your program, you'll be on the way to your best body yet!